Center News

China Research Center co-sponsors West China Conference in Chengdu, Sichuan Province

The China Research Center was one of the co-sponsors of the 7th Annual Consortium for Western China Development Studies Conference, "China Regional Development Model: Ten Years of West China Development," held at Sichuan University in Chengdu on July 5-6, 2010. Keynote speakers included Sichuan Province government officials, Vice President of Sichuan University, Dr. Changwen Zhao, and Dr. Jeffrey Sachs of Columbia University.

Center Associates Li Qi and Penelope Prime presented their paper "Financing of Chinese Manufacturing Firms: Implications for Understanding Financial Development in West China." Dr. Prime has served on the Board of the Consortium since its inception in 2003. For more information on the Consortium and the conference go to http://chinadatacenter.org/westchina2010/.

Study Delegation from Taiwan's National Chengchi University visits Georgia Tech

Taiwan's National Chengchi University (NCCU) and Georgia Tech's School of International Affairs will conduct this summer 2010 in Atlanta a program allowing NCCU students to study "U.S. Economy and Enterprise." Under the program, eighteen NCCU students will spend three weeks in the Atlanta area from 17 July to 7 August. Students will attend lectures by Atlanta-area university faculty on various aspects of the U.S. economy, combined with visits to prominent Atlanta-area companies, governmental economic agencies (federal, state, city and county) and partisan organizations. The program will be directed by NCCU Professor of Economics, Yih-chyi Chuang. For most of the students this will be their first visit to the United States. The program reciprocates Georgia Tech programs during the summers of 2006-2009 under which groups of Tech students studied Taiwan's economy as part of a broader East Asia political economy program. For information about the program please contact Dr. John W. Garver,john.garver@inta.gatech.edu.

CRC Associate and Board Member, Dr. Hanchao Lu, publishes two books

The Birth of a Republic: Francis Stafford's Photographs of China's 1911 Revolution and Beyond (Seattle & London: University of Washington Press, 2010) is a collection of rare photos of this important historic period.

China's 1911 Revolution ended both the rule of the 267-year-old Manchu Qing dynasty and the more than 2,000-year-old imperial system, establishing Asia's first, if not lasting, republic. Because war correspondence was not an established profession in China and the camera was a rare apparatus in Chinese life at the time, photographs of the revolution are rare. Francis E. Stafford (1884-1938), an American working as a photographer for Asia's largest publishing company, Commercial Press in Shanghai, had unusual access to both sides of the conflict. The Birth of a Republic documents this tumultuous period through Stafford's photographic eye.

Stafford trained his lens on the leaders of the revolutionaries, the imperial court, and the generals and foot soldiers, as well as on the common people. His images thus capture the stock in trade of war correspondents and photo journalists, but he also documented scenes of everyday life, from the streets of China's cities to the muddy lanes of its villages, from paddy rice fields to factory workshops, from open-air food markets to the inner chambers of Buddhist temples and Christian churches. His remarkable photographs reveal sweeping social and political change, as well as the tenacity of tradition.

The 162 photographs presented here are from the collection of Stafford's grandson, Ronald Anderson, and are set in historical and cultural context through an interpretive introduction and extensive captions. This book will appeal to historians and general readers interested in modern China, revolution, and war.

A Man of Two Worlds: The Life of Sir Robert Hart, 1835-1911 (Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences Press, 2009);

Related websites: http://baike.baidu.com/view/3688783.htm and http://www.amazon.cn/gp/product/B002SXKF34?ver=gp

In A Man of Two Worlds: The Life of Sir Robert Hart, 1835-1911, historian Hanchao Lu presents a biography of Robert Hart, a British subject who served as the Inspector General of China's maritime customs for nearly half a century (1861-1908). Not only did Hart control part of China's massive revenue generated from import/export tariffs and commerce, but also he was responsible for establishing China's modern postal system, building a new pilotage system, and, in an important way, reshaping Chinese foreign policy. Written in Chinese for the China audience, Lu challenges both the Chinese nationalist view of Hart as an agent of Western imperialism and the condescending Euro-centric view of Hart as the forefather of China's modernization. Lu asserts that there is no doubt that Robert Hart, as the "I.G. in Peking," was a product of China's subordinate position in the age of imperialism. And it is also undeniable that Hart placed British national interests first. He did not hesitate to side with his mother country when it came to conflicts of interest between Britain and the Qing empire. But as a longtime high-ranking Chinese official, Hart was also genuinely dedicated to his post. In his own words, "The Service which I direct is called the Customs Service, but its scope is wide and its aim is to do good work for China in every possible direction." Hart administered the most successful government organization in China, played a significant role in propelling China into the modern world, and performed a delicate balance act for advancing Chinese interests without undercutting Western interests. Twelve years after his entering the Chinese service, Hart claimed that "I shall never leave China contentedly unless I see mines at work, railways in operation and telegraphs spreading. " He stayed in China for another thirty-five years without completely accomplishing his mission, yet by that time his accomplishments and devotion had already made him the most powerful and influential "hired foreigner" in modern China. Through Hart, Lu prompts readers to revisit the meaning of imperialism and nationalism, the complexity of modernity in the non-Western world, and the contemporary implications of the Western presence in China.

China Research Center Advisory Board Member, Guanming Fang, is named the new chairperson of the Georgia China Alliance

Georgia China Alliance, a nonprofit organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, today announced that it has appointed Guanming Fang as its Chairwoman to serve for a term of two years. In addition to naming its new chairwoman, the organization also announced the nomination of the following individuals to its Executive Committee: John Ray of J.P. Morgan Chase, Craig Lesser of The Pendleton Consulting Group, Matthew Patterson of Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, Lei Shan of Merrill Lynch, Trae Westmoreland of Georgia Power, and Lei Fang, Ph.D, M.D. of Sutherland Asbill & Brennan LLP. Appointments to the Executive Committee are subject to approval by the Board of Directors of the Alliance. Rongrong Liu, a Research Associate at Center for International Trade and Security at University of Georgia, will continue to serve as the Executive Director of the organization.

Guanming Fang thanked John Ray, its immediate past Chairman, for his services and his significant contributions to the Alliance. "I am honored to have this opportunity to serve GCA, and look forward to working with the Executive Committee to build on the success John has achieved and to make this a better and stronger organization," said Ms. Fang. "I believe in the mission of GCA and am convinced that we have the resources and capabilities to provide a unique service to the Georgia business community, particularly the small and medium size companies that are interested in developing business ties with China." Guanming Fang is a Member at Womble Carlyle Sandridge & Rice PLLC, an AmLaw 100 law firm. Ms. Fang focuses her law practice on corporate transactions and leads the firm's China Initiative. Ms. Fang is a co-founder of Georgia China Alliance and has served on the boards of various nonprofit organizations.

Georgia China Alliance is a nonprofit organization founded in 2004 with a mission to promote commerce between the State of Georgia and China. GCA's members are a diverse group of Georgia's leading business, government, non-profit and educational institutions and a broad cross-section of individuals interested in improving business, trade, and investment ties with China. Activities organized or sponsored by the organization include hosting visiting Chinese government and business delegations; organizing seminars to discuss economic policies, political and business environments in China, developments in specific areas such as bioscience, and a wide varieties of other topics; and having other periodic educational and networking events. For more information about GCA, please visit www.georgiachina.com.